The NBA Playoffs officially begin August 17th, which leaves a race for the final available playoff spot in the Western Conference. For the first time ever, the eighth and ninth seeded teams will be competing in a play-in game to determine who claims their spot in the playoffs. The play-in tournament for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference will take place prior to the playoffs on August 15th and could potentially be extended to August 16th, as well. The Western Conference needs an extra game or two in order to determine the playoff seeding based on the current seed standings.
The play-in tournament could potentially feature more teams than expected. The Memphis Grizzlies currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference, but the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, and Phoenix Suns are also in the race for the playoff spot. There could also be tie-breaking games, which gives numerous possible outcomes that could potentially happen this weekend. The team holding the eighth seed spot will only need to win one game over the ninth seed in order to clench that playoff spot, but the ninth seed team will need to win two games in order to step into the playoffs. An eighth seed must be up more than four games against the ninth seed at the end of the seeding round in order to claim a playoff spot.
The Los Angeles Lakers have already clenched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, so now it is to be determined who they will compete with in the first-round of the playoffs. It is expected to see them play against the Portland Trail Blazers, who are currently ranked the 9th seeded team in the West. Something has definitely seemed off for the Lakers during their time in Orlando. They currently have a 3-4 record inside the bubble, with one of the worst offensive efficiency ratings. Some have made the argument that once they clenched the No. 1 seed position they no longer gave every game their full potential, but could also mean they have not fully adjusted to the new bubble environment. Portland has a 4-2 record in the bubble and one of the best offensive ratings, which means the Lakers need to be ready to give their all in the first-round and every round they play in.
The Los Angeles Clippers are likely to be seen in the first-round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, which will be yet another intriguing game to see. Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will be playing next to each other for their first playoff season with the Clippers, where they hope to lead their team to a title. It is likely that we will see a Clippers win, but the exciting, sophomore phenom Luka Doncic is making his playoff debut with the Mavs and could make things interesting. Luka averages 29.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.9 assists during games, which will make him a must watch player debuting on a larger stage.
Houston Rockets versus Oklahoma City Thunder will be yet another must watch playoff matchup. This will be Rusell Westbrook’s first playoff series with the Rockets against a team that traded him last summer, which means he will definitely not want to lose. Chris Paul with the Thunder is yet in the same stand point being that he was also involved in the same trade. Both players have had strong seasons in new cities, and neither of them will want to lose in the first round against some former teammates. It will be exciting to watch these two players battle it out on the court during this playoff game.
The playoffs are coming up, but before we get there we must determine the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. With an exciting upcoming play-in tournament this weekend we will finally have a confirmed eighth seed in the West, which will then bring us to the first-round matchups. There are many predictions and expectations for the NBA playoffs bringing nothing but utter excitement to all the fans and players involved.
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